Silent Tears
by The Centre Of The Tardis
Summary: Phoebe was a quiet girl with a sad past and a rough time at home. Albus was a boy who never felt he lived up to the shadows of his brother. Together, can they fix each other? Or will they both continue shedding silent tears?


Phoebe lay on her bed in her empty dorm. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She didn't have to worry about anyone walking in on her because everyone else was out watching the quidditch game, but Phoebe wasn't interested in the quidditch match right now.

Her mind was wandering to the past, to the moment her life changed. She remembered when her mother died, and she hated it. It changed everything. Her dad had begun drinking to take away the pain and it had taken over him. Since the age of eight, Phoebe had practically raised herself.

She sighed remembering. Phoebe loved her dad more than anything, she wished he would stop drinking, it was damaging his health. It was the one thing Phoebe had dared to wish for since then. She never told anyone though. There was one thing Phoebe didn't do, and that was talk.

She refused to talk. When her dad had started drinking, she had found it was best for him, if she kept quiet. Something about the way she spoke reminded him of her mother, and that only made him worse.

The only physical attribute of her mother's Phoebe had inherited, was her mother's facial structure. Her lips were the same and her nose was the same. Her eyes were her dad's completely.

Her hair stood out the most. It was a deep red, naturally. The red hair was a recessive trait, and it had landed on her. Phoebe loved her hair though. She enjoyed having red curls, they were pretty.

Phoebe was a fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was a master at non-verbal spells. Though non-verbal spells were after OWL level, Phoebe's lack of talking had caused her to learn them during her first year. She didn't have as much trouble as the sixth years did when they were learning, because Phoebe had never learned with words, only without, so there was no transitioning.

She climbed up off her bed and opened up her muggle laptop. The muggle studies professor, Terry Boot, had charmed it to work in the school for her. Professor Boot liked Phoebe. She was quiet and appreciated muggle things, which was enough for him.

She tugged on one of her curls as she waited for her laptop to boot up. Once it had booted up she took a look at all her photos. She flipped through them at a slow pace.

She saw pictures of her family before her mother's death and smiled. They were so happy back then.

She felt a tear fall down her cheek and she closed her laptop, placing it back in its cover and under her bed. She let the tears fall for a little bit, reveling in the sweet memories of her past.

There was a hopeless longing in her chest as she thought about it. She would give anything to have that back. Or even just her father back.

No one knew about the state of Phoebe's father, or how he treated her. Nor did she feel any reason to tell anyone. As much as she hated who he was when he was drunk, and how he treated her, she still loved him.

Deciding that being trapped in her dorm alone wasn't good for her, she walked to her trunk and pulled out her thick black cloak.

Walking outside she stayed as far away from the quidditch pitch as possible, not wanting to have to listen to the loud cheers and boos from the people in the stands.

She sat herself down by the lake and sighed. It was a shame, how bad things had gotten for her. She wasn't quite sure what she'd done to deserve it, but she didn't complain. Phoebe didn't talk.

Pulling her hood up, she lay down on the slightly wet grass and closed her eyes, letting the sweet sounds of nature relax her.

The quiet was nice. It wasn't deadly silent, but it wasn't loud either, as it often was when she hung around with her best friend Rose.

Phoebe had met Rose during first year. She had been the only one who hadn't taunted Phoebe for not talking. She had accepted the hufflepuff girl's refusal to talk, and invited the girl in with open arms.

Phoebe was grateful for Rose doing that. She wasn't sure how, but somehow the two girls became best friends, and Rose, had learned how read Phoebe's personal variation on sign language.

Phoebe didn't use it often. Only occasionally when needed to tell Rose something. Rose usually just talked to Phoebe. They were both happy. Rose had someone she could tell anything to, and Phoebe had someone who was okay with her silence.

Of course, Rose often tried to get Phoebe to talk ever since Phoebe had admitted to having a voice, just choosing not to use it. Phoebe smiled thinking about it.

Rose would often drop subtle hints about how it would be nice if someone could tell her something, and Phoebe would usually just shake her head.

Phoebe had been so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps of someone coming near.

"Oh." A voice said, and Phoebe opened her eyes to see Albus, Rose's cousin. "Hello Phoebe." He said politely.

Phoebe liked Albus. Him and his best mate Scorpius were always so nice to her.

Phoebe noticed he looked a little tired and sad.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" He asked her.

She shook her head and he sat himself down next to her.

"Do you mind if I rant to you about something?" He asked her nicely. "I feel the urge to get it off my chest, and I want to do it with someone who won't tell."

Phoebe shook her head, gesturing with her hands for the boy to go ahead. She was used to Rose using her to rant to, and to be honest, Phoebe liked it. It provided an escape from her own problems.

She looked over at Albus and listened carefully to him rant about always being shown up by his brother. Phoebe watched his sparkling green eyes flare with anger as he ranted.

She felt sorry for him, she wished she could find some way to show him, he was better than James.

When he had finished his rant, he smiled at her. "Thanks. I feel a lot better now." He said taking a deep breath. He looked her over. "I like your hair." He said. "It's red, like my family's only, it's a deeper red, and it really suits you."

Phoebe smiled in thanks, having not really expected such a compliment.

At that moment, there were crowds of people starting to pour into the school. Albus saw them and stood up, offering his hand to Phoebe.

"We should head in for dinner, and find out who won the game." Albus said, and Phoebe nodded, using his hand to pick herself up, before letting go and walking alongside him into the castle.


End file.
